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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Unhappy with Joseph Lieberman's record, Maxine Waters threatens to withhold an endorsement just long enough to make herself the story -- again.
Aug 16, 2000 | Joseph Lieberman may have sullied his reputation for truth-telling at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee's black caucus on Tuesday.
"I feel very comfortable here," he said during a workmanlike speech before the group, where he seemed anything but.
Luckily, Lieberman didn't have to be the marquee player at the crucial meeting, which came amid reports that African-American delegates were in revolt over his nomination. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was happy to take the starring role, and she gave Al Gore's running mate a preview of his future playing second banana.
Waters made herself the big story of the dull convention's second day by telling the Los Angeles Times that she might not endorse the Democratic ticket because of Lieberman's stands on affirmative action, school vouchers and criminal justice. Her stance pushed African-Americans ahead of the entertainment industry and unions as the must-mollify Democratic constituency of the moment.
By the time Lieberman showed up at the black caucus meeting at the Westin Bonaventure Tuesday, the gathering threatened to be the convention's dramatic climax.
Though the nominee was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m., the vast hall remained nearly empty at 10:30, except for reporters shuffling paper and grumbling about delays. Then the cameras flickered to life with the arrival of Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, Gore's lead black Lieberman defender, according to an article in the Washington Post. Her appearance kindled a brief, hopeful buzz that Lieberman was on the way, but soon Herman drifted out again, renewing complaints about the perpetually tardy Democrats.
Little did the complainers know that Herman's departure was the opening scene of the day's true top act. Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee outside the ballroom, Herman promptly grabbed the arm of the just arriving Waters, ushering the malcontent into a nearby conference room for some on-the-fly reeducation on Lieberman. Bored scribes trailed after them, only to be stopped at the conference room door by security.
When the ladies emerged, Herman insisted the encounter was little more than a friendly chat, but Waters wasn't so diplomatic. "We have been discussing that I am unclear about where Mr. Lieberman stands on affirmative action, vouchers and criminal justice issues," Waters volunteered, going on to complain that she'd been left out of the loop.
"I never had the opportunity to talk to anybody about it before he was decided on as the vice presidential choice," she told reporters. In her harshest statement, the California congresswoman threatened to sit out the campaign entirely if Lieberman didn't dance to her tune. "I would seriously sit out an election if, in fact, the issues that I've worked on all of my life are undermined," she said.
Ever the steel magnolia, Herman continued to accentuate the positive, vowing that Lieberman would give Waters a thorough account of himself. With the assistance of the ubiquitous security officers, Herman then pulled Waters away from the press to a more remote spot in the hotel where Lieberman could grovel in privacy.
Meanwhile, the black caucus event limped along without Lieberman, Herman or Waters, covering health issues affecting the African-American community. While the now-large audience paid careful attention to Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Edie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, as they proposed solutions for everything from AIDS to osteoporosis, oblivious reporters played with their notebooks and cellphones, waiting for the main event.
Finally, an hour and a half behind schedule, security agents crowded an exit and caucus members prepared for the Lieberman show. First Herman, then Washington delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton ascended the stage. The task of introducing the guest of honor fell to Norton, who'd known Lieberman since their days as Freedom Riders.
Perhaps she'd have done a better job with a stranger. After explaining at length that Lieberman was a true liberal hero, bringing a smattering of claps but a whole lot of silence, she said to Lieberman, "You da man!"
